Netanyahu warns Hamas after weekend of rocket fire from Gaza

PM speaks at cabinet meeting after a violent weekend in which Hamas fired four rockets into southern Israel.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF
Updated: MARCH 14, 2016 03:16
Netanyahu warns Hamas after weekend of rocket fire from Gaza [March 2016]
Israel will not allow Palestinians in Gaza to launch rockets into Israel and Hamas must prevent such incidents from occurring, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.
He spoke after a violent weekend in which Hamas fired four rockets into southern Israel that struck open areas without causing injury.
Israel, whose stiff policy has been not to tolerate any rocket fire, retaliated by targeting four Hamas training camps. Debris from the explosions hit a home next to one of the camps, killing Yassin Abu Khoussa, 10, and his younger sister Israa Abu Khoussa.
“Our policy with respect to the Gaza Strip is very clear,” the prime minister said. “Israel won’t tolerate any rocket fire from Gaza into Israel.
“The IDF will respond to such provocation. Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Hamas is obligated to prevent [rocket] firing,” Netanyahu said.
He also outlined the steps that Israel is taking to prevent Arabs living in the West Bank and east Jerusalem from carrying out terrorist attacks against Israelis.
Netanyahu told the cabinet he expected to receive a response from the attorney-general with regard to the legality of expelling the families of terrorists to Gaza.
Israel is also cracking down on Palestinian media outlets that encourage incitement against Israelis and Jews, he said.
Over the weekend the IDF closed an Islamic broadcast station in Ramallah, which Netanyahu said had promoted violence against Israel.
“This isn’t a question of freedom of the press, but of stopping incitement to murder,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister also explained that he had spoken over the phone with President François Hollande and asked him to similarly stop the broadcast of such channels in France.
France removed an Al-Aksa station from a satellite channel, but it found another avenue to broadcast its programming.
“We are working in other ways to stop these broadcasts,” Netanyahu said.
In addition, he said, the government was pushing for rapid legislation to punish those who employ and otherwise assist Palestinians working illegally within the Green Line.
On a separate topic, Netanyahu said he instructed the Foreign Ministry to urge the six world powers – the US, Russia, China, France, Great Britain and Germany – to stop Iranian violations of UN Security Council resolutions with respect to the firing of ballistic missiles. He did so after Iran conducted a ballistic missile test last week.